Cork City Council asked to ‘right wrong’ of freeman vote for Mandela

The local authority which voted against making Nelson Mandela a freeman of Cork in 1987 was asked, just hours before his death, to “right that wrong”.

It emerged last night that Sinn Féin Cllr Thomas Gould submitted a motion on Wednesday requesting that Cork City Council consider making Mandela a freeman of the city next year to make up for its 1987 vote against conferring him with the honour.

Mandela’s death was announced just before 10pm Irish time, on Thursday night.